NEW DELHI, Dec 29 — Ten Indian youths who had traveled abroad and later joined the Russian army have been confirmed dead, with four more reported missing, relatives said. The deceased include three from Punjab and seven from Uttar Pradesh and Jammu.
Jagdeep Singh, who went to Russia in search of his brother Mandeep and others, said, “Despite visiting Russia twice and spending a total of nearly three months there, I could not find any trace of them. The documents I collected were submitted to Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who confirmed the deaths with Russian army authorities.”
Among the confirmed dead are Tejpal Singh of Amritsar, Arvind Kumar of Lucknow, Dhirendra Kumar of UP, Vinod Yadav, Yogendra Yadav, and five others. The four still missing are Deepak, Yogeshwar Prashad, Azharuddin Khan, and Ram Chandra.
Jagdeep said he first approached Seechewal on June 29, 2024, requesting help for his brother and other Indian youths trapped in Russia. “Seechewal met the Foreign Minister, wrote a letter seeking their safe return, and supported my travel to Russia,” he said.
Seechewal called on the government to stop Indian recruitment in the Russian army and urged the repatriation of the bodies so families can perform final rites. He also asked for strict action against travel agents luring youths into military service abroad.
